Liam Keen analysis: A positive point but Wolves feeling the strain

This week in particular, with games against Arsenal, Burnley and Nottingham Forest within seven days, Wolves ran out of steam.

Following the loss in London, Wolves already looked tired on Tuesday against the Clarets, but did well enough to earn a slim victory.

After a lacklustre start lacking in energy and urgency against Forest on Saturday, and after giving away an avoidable goal littered with mistakes, Wolves recovered to deservedly equalise.

But a disappointing second-half performance saw them out on their feet and stumble over the line to a point against a Forest side desperate to protect what they had.

Gary O’Neil was right to be disappointed with his side because Forest were there for the taking, but equally there are positives to take.

A dip in performances was always going to come for this side and it was how they reacted to that, and the points they picked up during that time, that would be so telling.

Two fairly cumbersome performances against Burnley and Forest have yielded four points. Neither side have gained ground on Wolves and O’Neil’s side continue to look up the table rather than down it – that should be treated as a positive week.

This team is also missing some key players through injury and their returns, which are now much closer, will be very timely.

In particular, Wolves are desperately missing Rayan Ait-Nouri and Pedro Neto.

The latter was in sensational form before his hamstring issue and his return would be a boost for any team.

But on a specific tactical point, Wolves needed Ait-Nouri on Saturday.

Hugo Bueno had a poor opening 20 minutes or so, but then recovered to have a fairly solid performance at both ends of the pitch.

However, Forest’s back five were incredibly compact and narrow and Bueno had plenty of space to exploit on the left flank, which he could have done more with.

It was a game that would have suited Ait-Nouri’s attacking prowess. His omission was a big miss.

This is even more true when you consider the quiet performance of Hwang Hee-chan. The South Korean has had an outstanding campaign so far and his goals have made the difference for Wolves.

But in recent weeks he has struggled with his displays and that resulted in a very tired performance at the weekend.

It was a surprise to see him last 90 minutes as he failed to make an impact and Hwang will certainly benefit from the eight-day gap between the Forest fixture and the trip to West Ham.

It seems unlikely, however, that O’Neil will give him a rest from the starting XI with the condition of his squad in the attacking department.

It is clear O’Neil does not have the same trust in his other strikers to step off the bench and that is starting to damage the team.

Sasa Kalajdzic has been poor in his last two substitute appearances and the head coach needs more from him, but Saturday felt like a game when he could have been brought on much sooner than the 91st minute.

Fabio Silva is also out of favour and set for a January move, but to not see him come on against Forest meant Wolves continued with a formula that was not working.

O’Neil wants to bring in a striker when the transfer window opens, but his reluctance to use the players currently available to him worked against Wolves this weekend.

On the other hand, O’Neil rightly admitted his other substitutions had little impact, and the onus is on his squad to take their chances.

One player who has been taking his chances is Matheus Cunha. Another goal this weekend has seen him manage three goals and two assists in the last five Premier League games, as he hits his best patch of form since arriving in England.

Wolves may see even more from Cunha when he is playing off an out-and-out number nine, but in his current role he is bringing a strong work ethic, quality on the ball and quality in the box, as he arrives in the areas to make a difference.

As a tremendous character off the pitch and a player now settled on the field, Cunha is proving to be a smart acquisition a year ago, even if it was for an inflated £43million.

With Hwang not at it and Neto still sidelined, Cunha hitting form came at the perfect time for Wolves and he is the perfect example of how players need time to settle in their new surroundings.